Not A 'The End'
by kori hime
Summary: Past implied MattMello. Matt's P.O.V. fic that was posted on LJ for Matt's 18th birthday. SPOILERS from the Takada kidnapping to the very end of the manga. Matt lives through the kidnapping ordeal to see Kira captured.


Title: Not a 'The End'

Side Note: Also, the last bit mainly lines from the manga, but altered for the new situation. For the lines from the manga, it may seem choppy because I tried not to mess with the translations. (cringes) There should be sequel, but don't count on me; I am quite unreliable on the sequel front.

(Yeah, I know America uses the Miranda rights, but I'm not sure about Japan. We'll pretend they do for the sake of the fanfic. ;;)

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Matt's P.O.V.

"You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law," the police officer droned as he roughly pulled my arms behind my back and handcuffed me. The cuffs were tight and would have been biting my wrists, if it weren't for my thick gloves. "You have the right to have an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?"

I nodded silently as I was pushed into a cop car. Before the car drove off, I noticed the glares of Takada's men. _'If looks could kill...'_ I thought as I made a low whistle.

_'Guess I got lucky, if you can call getting caught and put in jail lucky,'_ I thought as the car drove away from the blockade, towards the police station._'Being arrested sucks, but at least I lived, and I'll escape, eventually.'_

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I sat quietly on the bed in my cell, twiddling my thumbs because of my unfortunate lack of my PSP and cigarettes. I had had them in my pockets, but those were the first things the police confiscated after my gun and car. Too bad.

I craned my neck from the cell whenever I heard voices, hoping to get some news on how the kidnapping went. _.'It was Mello's plan. It probably went off without a hitch,'_ I thought as I struck gold in my news gathering.

"Did you hear about Tacky?"

"Yeah. No one can find her, I hear. Went missing while that kid over there was being a distraction."

I grinned to myself. I was underestimated, called a kid again. If anyone had known about Wammy's House, they would have thought twice about underestimating a 'kid.' And calling me a kid? Sure, I was barely twenty, but looks can be deceiving. I was not ranked third at Wammy's for nothing; Mello was not second for nothing, either. We both knew what we were getting into, no matter how suicidal the mission statement was.

I leaned back on the bed and closed my eyes, as I thought about the second phase of the plan. Mello had not bothered to tell me much. Why tell me anything, really? The unfortunate flaw to a suicidal plan was if you actually were alive by the end of it and planned on being dead, what do you do?

I had tried not to let my mind wander that far, but now, all I had were the bits of Mello's suicidal half of the plan that I had to piece together to get answers,. Not that it would be as hard as for me as it would be for someone else who didn't know Mello.

Mello was unpredictable on a good day, but with that said, it never meant he was irrational. All his unpredictability was calculated, and I knew the formula by now. He could reason what would looked like the most unreasonable actions to any normal person. Like, blowing up himself and his mafia gang to take out the enemy, for instance.

The kidnapping plot? It may have been completely suicidal, but it had a purpose; it was to out Kira. I understood that. I understood that I could have been killed when I was being a decoy, and that Mello would live, even though not long. He was the bait for Kira.

I sighed as I opened my eyes to stare at the cement ceiling of my shitty cell. Kira, that was all Mello talked about the days and weeks leading up to the kidnapping. That and beating Near, even though he knew that if his plan worked the way he figured it would, Near would be the one to close the Kira case. Near would 'win,' but Mello even joked that he would beat Near by being the one to die first.

Thinking back, I probably should have held my tongue, but the jab was too easy not to take. I had quipped that Mello would not die first; I would. That angered Mello, but instead of the expected punch to the face, it led to angry kisses and almost as angry sex.

I turned in my cot, pulling the blanket over myself. Those were thoughts I _definitely_ couldn't dwell on. Getting a boner in a jail cell would not be fun, and it wasn't as if I could relieve myself, with all the cops around. Well, I _could_, but I was not up for giving them a show.

Just as I began to doze off, I heard the clank of keys and the opening of the padlock to my cell. I sat up quickly to see a chick leaning on the jamb of the cell door. I furrowed my brow, not expecting anyone, let alone this woman.

"Hal," I greeted, quietly.

"C'mon, you're coming with me," she stated as she turned to leave, expecting me to follow.

I was suspicious, but figured a get out of jail free card wasn't a chance to be passed up, even such a suspicious one. As I exited the cell, Hal pushed a small plastic baggie into my hands, full of my belongings.

Once out of the station, I lit up a cigarette as I followed Hal, still skeptical. I knew Hal must have been where Mello got his information about Near's plans that led to Mello planning the kidnapping. Logically, it worked out well, but was the information Mello received actually the truth?

I blew out a puff a smoke then took another long drag of my cigarette as I followed Hal to a back alley where there was a motorcycle waiting. Hal handed me a helmet then put her own on. She revved the engine as I got on flicking my cigarette into the dark alley.

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When we arrived, it wasn't where I had expected. If it were any other woman, I would have taken the hotel room as a hint, but not Hal.

"Taking me to a hotel, that's very forward of you, Hal," I quipped as I walked around the room, taking in my surroundings, and noticing Hal locking the door.

"You're spending the night here," Hal stated as she headed towards what looked like the bathroom.

I followed her. "Really? Why is that? Near tell you to keep me here?"

Hal turned to me. "Actually, yes, he did. He wouldn't want you getting yourself killed after you got lucky. That'd be a waste, wouldn't it?"

I grabbed Hal's arm, stopping her from closing the bathroom door behind her. "You called the cops on me, didn't you?" I asked, knowing the answer.

"I did."

"Why? We met only a handful of times, and because Mello wanted it," I questioned.

"Mello seems more attached to you then either of you think," she stated. "That guy, wears his heart on his sleeve, whether he wants to admit it or not."

I let my grip on her slacken and eventually let go of her, so she could shower. I mauled over what she said and shrugged it off. Why worry about it when she was right? Mello would never admit anything, even if he were to live through this insane suicidal mission of his.

I headed for the couch, making myself comfortable as I pulled out my PSP. In the morning, I would see Near and maybe get some answers for this temporary imprisonment.

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"So, you bailed me out of jail," I stated as I watched Near place another blank puzzle piece in its proper place.

Near made no move other than to place another puzzle piece. That was my answer; Near was not going to answer a question with an obvious answer. I rolled my eyes in slight distaste. I had nothing against Near, mostly, but enough time spent with Mello will rub off on a person. I was surprised I wasn't craving chocolate.

Near placed the last piece of his puzzle and looked up at me with his dark eyes that gave me a flashback to my first meeting with L. I knew no good could from that look.

"Mello is dead; Kira had him killed," Near stated.

_"Your parents are dead; they were murdered," L stated._

The first time I had received bad news like this, I had broken down and cried as L brought me into the limo that would bring me to my new life at Wammy's House. This time, I took a deep breath and let it out calmly.

"Is that all?" I asked, my face masking my emotions almost as well as Near or L ever did.

Near showed some surprise on his face but quickly hid it. "You knew it would happen, yet you did not stop it?" Near asked as he picked up his completed puzzle from the floor where he had been sitting.

I laughed, mirthlessly. "No one can control Mello, and you better use what he did to take Kira down, or I will take Kira down myself, in a less legal way," I warned as I made my way to leave the SPK headquarters.

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Once away from Near's watchful eye, I exploded. My anger could rival any of Mello's 'temper tantrums' at that moment. I went back to the apartment that Mello and I had shared before the kidnapping. I slammed the door, shaking some plaster loose from the ceiling.

I snarled and flipped over the table in the kitchen of the small apartment. I kicked the chairs, making them crash and break. After a bit more destruction, I calmed down, breathing heavily.

I rubbed my face, hoping no tears would come. I was angry, not sad. You're sad when someone was murdered, not when he baits a mass murderer, asking to die. I sat quietly on the ground, amidst the broken furniture. Tears pricked at my eyes, but I stubbornly wouldn't let them fall, as my goggles fogged a bit.

_"Your parents died, so what? You're still alive, right? Do something about it!" Mello had told me, when I had first arrived at Wammy's House, crying over the loss of my parents._

I blinked the tears away as I pulled off my goggles and stood up. Mello was right. I was alive. Mello was adamant about taking Kira down, so much so that he used his own life to take him down. I knew that I had to take down Kira, no matter what. I would leave it Near to figure it out, but I felt that letting Near _win_ would disgrace Mello's memory.

I cracked my neck and went to work. I knew that before we had left the apartment, we hadn't bothered to get rid of our tech and the evidence that we had lived there because what did it matter since we were going to die, right? I was immensely glad for that when I went to the bedroom to find my laptop, still charging on the nightstand.

I kicked off my boots and made myself comfortable on the bed with my laptop. I placed my goggles on the nightstand, before I started typing away. I had been a bit hasty with Near, not bothering to ask_how_ Mello had died, although I guessed it must have been Takada.

I clicked away at the keyboard, and found that Takada had burned to death. I guessed that she killed Mello then to cover that up, Kira or one of his other Kiras had killed her as to burn any evidence of Mello's murder or her involvement with Kira.

I sighed, knowing my resources were limited, even with my hacking abilities. I was not sure how Kira killed, although I was positive either Mello or Near knew. Mello probably knew and didn't bother to tell me because he thought we would both die, so why bother wasting time to explain. Near probably knew as well; he was always a step or two in front of Mello.

Unfortunately, if Near was one or two steps in front of Mello, Near was at least four steps in front of me. That fact had never bothered me much before. Being third was good enough for me, that way I never got on Mello's bad side like Near had. Now, being third made me understand why Mello had hated Near, if only to a small extent.

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It had hardly been a few hours since Near had last spoken to me, but he had the nerve to call me. I angrily flipped open my cell phone. "Yes?"

"I am meeting Kira in a few hours, would you like to join me?" Near asked.

I paused for a moment. "Yeah, I would."

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I waited in the shadows, outside of the warehouse as I saw 'L' and his people pull up in their car. I knew what was going to go down, and I was glad that Mello's death would mean _something_.

I watched the door lock Near and the others in the warehouse with Kira. For a moment, I felt afraid for Near. It was completely rational to fear for someone's life when they _willingly_ had themselves locked in a warehouse with a mass-murderer, but I had no doubts about the plan; it would work.

Okay, I had _some_ doubts, but that was just the fear talking. I had already lost Mello; I had no intention of being first by default because first and second were killed by Kira, just like L.

I shook those thoughts from my head as I saw a figure walking towards the front door. I hid on the other side of wall, knowing this must be Mikami Teru, just like Near had said.

I stood with my back to the wall, not daring to look. I took out my gun, not cocking it just yet. I heard the door creak, and Mikami started to mutter 'eliminate' as he scratched away on what I figured was the fake Death Note.

"...are you done writing the names?" a voice asked from the room.

"Yes, I am," Mikami proclaimed just before I ran behind him and cocked my gun.

"In you go," I told him, the gun pressed to Mikami's back.

I shoved Mikami forward, followed him in, and locked the door behind us.

"Yo," I greeted casually as I kept my gun to Mikami's back.

"Who the hell is that!? You said there'd only be SPK members here!" one of the guys cried out, as Kira put a hand on his shoulder, willing him to calm down.

Near twirled a strand of his hair. "He is my insurance," Near stated. "If we all die here, but Kira, Matt will still be able to take Kira in and carry on the name of L."

_'Really, Near? And I thought I was just here, so I wouldn't do anything that was_ outside _of your plan.'_ I thought as Near began to speak again.

"Strange, isn't it?" Near asked. "Why does he answer your question 'Are you done writing the names?' honestly?"

"I don't know, maybe he's an honest guy, or maybe he has some room to spare," Kira said holding back a grin. "Maybe your plot is seen through..."

"What...? Then we may be done for!" one of the Task Force members exclaimed in a panic, the one who was shouting earlier. Matsuda was his name, but from the surveying I did, he was a pretty useless member of the force.

"Mikami Teru, I know you're taking over Kira's judgment now," Near said to the man who was shooting looks towards Kira.

"Mikami Teru?" Kira questioned, as if he had never heard of the man before. _'Pffft, your acting isn't all that great, Kira,'_ I thought as Mikami trembled with anticipation.

"God, at your command," Mikami finally uttered, obviously looking towards Kira, in awe of his 'god.'

"How long has it been since you wrote down the first person's name?" Kira asked as I began to worry. What if Near's plan fails? Sure, I can clean up the mess, but what if he gets my name? Then Kira will live on, and there will no longer be an 'L' to stop him.

Mikami's face twisted for a moment as he looked at his watch. "35... 36... 37... 38..." he counted.

Matsuda had closed his eyes in fear, cowering, and the others closed their eyes or sweated in fear of death. Kira grinned. "Near, victory is mine," Kira said, ignoring the fact I was there and could very well turn him in afterwards.

_'Guess he thinks he'll kill me after them,'_ I thought as no one died.

Everyone started to murmur after a whole minute had past and no one had died. Near muttered about saying before that they would not die. I grinned as the man in front of me fell apart, his 'god' betraying him.

"Wh-why... Why won't they die...?" Mikami started muttering then looked up to his god, with arms outstretched and trembling. "G-god... I...only did as you wished..."

Kira sneered. Near looked over to me, and holding my gun with one hand, I pulled out a pair of handcuffs with the other. "Rester, help Matt detain Mikami," Near stated.

Rester held Mikami as I slapped the handcuffs on to his wrists. I looked over to Near. "Matt, hand me the notebook," Near stated.

I rolled my eyes under my goggles as I picked up the notebook and gave it to Near. _'Mello would be rolling in his grave, if he had one, that is...'_ I thought morbidly.

"Everyone, please confirm this with your own eyes," Near said calmly, holding up the notebook. "The first four are without a doubt the SPK members' real names. And, the only one here without their name written is Yagami Raito. Mikami called you 'god' and said he did as you said... It's settled."

I was glad I got to watch this; the breakdown of Kira was something Mello would have enjoyed immensely._'Since he's not here, I'll enjoy it for him...'_

"Tra..." Kira started, then began to scream. "Trap! This is a trap! In order for Near to frame me, he devised this trap! Isn't it strange, writing the names in the notebook and not dying? That proves this is a trap!"

I felt bored while the Kira Task Force looked shocked. I figured Kira would not do well cornered, but act so idiotically? "Bad form..." I muttered to myself.

"I said I doctored it, so we wouldn't die, didn't I?" Near stated unhappily. Repeating himself wasn't something Near ever liked to do, even as a child. He hasn't changed much.

"N..no, you...you are..." Kira began as his features contorted that pretty face of his into something I would imagine Kira would look like. "...no. I can't believe it..."

I chuckled to myself, and Hal shot me a look. I straightened up a bit and stopped laughing. _'Hal, you're such a kill joy.'_ I thought as Kira continued to talk.

"It's a trap... I don't even know that guy," Kira said, almost calmly.

I almost snorted as Mikami looked as if his whole world had shattered and hung his head. I watched as Aizawa put a hand on Kira's shoulder. "Raito-kun..." he started. "It's already too late. Near won. You just said 'victory is mine.' That's the same as a confession."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Matsuda fall to his knees. "Raito-kun... W-why..." he asked as he trembled, looking as if he was going to cry.

I felt bad for the guy. He trusted that guy blindly and got burned by Kira. As Matsuda broke, Mogi took out a pair of handcuffs and walked towards Kira. Kira slapped Mogi's hands away, sending the handcuffs clattering to the ground. "S-stop it!" Kira yelled.

Kira ran towards the huge warehouse garage door, stumbling and breathing heavily. "Stop it!" he yelled again.

He fell and scrambled to get back up, banging on the door. The fear was evident in his eyes, and I wished I'd had a camera. _'Mello would want to see this...'_ I thought, for a moment forgetting that Mello was dead and would never know about Kira's capture.

"Yagami Raito... L... Kira... You lose," Near stated as it hit me again that Mello was dead because of this pathetic man called Kira. "Just now, you proclaimed victory. Granted..."

Near trailed off, and Kira looked surprised. I let out a breath, so I wouldn't just take my gun and riddle Kira's body with bullets. I kept my mind on Near's words and tried not to act irrationally.

"You just declared that you had won, and certainly--originally, you did win ...and I lost," Near said and caught everyone including myself off guard. Near hadn't told me much, and now he was explaining his plan. "You had Mikami using a fake notebook all this time. All along, showing it to us as the real thing. You read as far as, 'my altering the notebook, so even if my name were written in the fake notebook I wouldn't die,' and proceeded forward.

"We successfully did just as you predicted and altered the fake notebook. Secretly changing the pages of the note so even if our names were written we wouldn't die... Taking that as evidence was my plan.

"And making us purposely take that plan... Having the note I altered be a fake, then, having Mikami take the real note and kill everyone. That was your plan."

_'Man, how did he pull that off? Kira knew about the plan so how...'_ My thoughts trailed off as Near continued to explain.

Near explained that he had the note doctored, the Gevanni had luckily been able to doctor the whole note in one day, a perfect copy.

"Because I touched this real note--" Near trailed off, dramatically. Well, as dramatic as the apathetic boy could get. "Ever since you guys came in here, I've been able to see the Shinigami."

Kira looked shocked, and I looked around and saw nothing. I guess my gloves kept me from 'touching' the Death Note. "Shinigami, nice to meet you. I am Near," Near greeted the air next to Kira.

It was a little unsettling to see Near talking to no one, but there was nothing to be done about it, unless I wanted to not so subtlety take a glove off and touch the notebook. No thanks.

"Ryuk... I believed up until today that a Shinigami was skull-faced and carried a scythe," Near stated. Apparently, the Shinigami had given his name as well.

There was pause then Near spoke again. "If you look closely as this note, there are traces of a number of pages being cut out... Would that mean, if one's name were written on those pages taken out, they would die?" Near asked.

There was another pause, and I saw Kira sweating. I bet he didn't think his Shinigami would rat him out. He was gritting his teeth and losing any composure he had desperately tried to cling to. _'Man, he's really freaked. Mello, I hope you're watching this from wherever you are...'_

"Even a cut note can be used... That means there are various ways of using it, right? Actually, I wonder just how many people you killed and how many times you've deceived us with this method..." Near pondered.

I saw a flash in Kira's eyes. Probably remembering the instances that he did fool L with those tactics. "Yagami Raito. You are Kira," Near stated from his crouched position, pointing at Kira.

Kira looked frantic for a moment, then considered his options and glared at Mikami. He probably thought Mikami had betrayed him, but I don't think that was it. _'It has to do with Mello, I'm sure but...'_

"You are wrong," Near said suddenly.

Kira looked at Near in surprise. "It was thanks to Mello. If I say this much, you understand, right?" Near stated, holding a creepy little Mello finger puppet that I didn't have time to dwell on because what Near said had clicked in my mind.

_'Ah, Mikami wrote Takada's name in the real notebook, therefore; Near knew where the real one was to doctor it.'_ I thought as Near opened to the page that had Takada's name written down.

"W-with Takada being in that situation... It was my duty..." Mikami began as Kira glared at him.

"That's right. When Takada was abducted by Mello, Mikami took out the real note. The real one hidden in the bank's safety deposit box..." Near said as Mikami and Kira looked shocked. "And, wrote Takada's name on it."

Near continued by saying that Mikami had changed the pattern he usually followed by going to the bank two days in a row. When Gevanni was following him, he found it suspicious and saw that Mikami was going into a safety deposit box. Near realized the probability of a fake Death Note only then.

During Near's explanation, I noticed he had quite a few finger puppets around him. I knew he played with toys, but still?_'Last time, we were children but now...? At least he doesn't have one of me...'_ I thought with a mental shudder.

Near explained that the charade had had him fooled, but when Takada was kidnapped by Mello, Kira lost his only way to contact Mikami. He said that Mikami's loyalty was his own undoing, and how easy it was to break into the safety deposit box.

Gevanni had spoke up as well, saying it was easy, and that when they found the note, Takada's name was written on it. "At this point even an idiot could figure it out," Near stated, his tone getting bored as he flipped the pages of the notebook.

Near continued by saying how interesting it was Mikami's fake note was so well kept; every day had a page done. He also mentioned that Mikami had been a carrying a fake for two months to draw Near's attention.

'_Man, Kira is_ thorough_. All that attention to detail would have bored me to death.'_

Near added that even thought you can kill someone with a piece of the Death Note, there would have been too good a chance for Near to have found the pieces in Mikami's home if he were to use that method, but if Takada did it, the evidence could be easily erased.

He continued on about the judgments, but I had all the information I needed. I figured Kira _must_ have piece of the Death Note on him. Near's next sentence confirmed my thoughts.

I glanced over to Kira, wondering where he had been keeping the piece of the Death Note. Probably not a place as obvious as his clothing. "And because you did indeed write her name you thought Mikami would know you did it after seeing it on the news, and did not think he would also write her name," Near said, a small grin forming on his face.

"Yes, it's too bad. When Mello abducted Takada, Mikami had written on the real note as well!" Near exclaimed.

"G-god..." Mikami murmured, stricken.

Near continued to talk, but I had tuned him out for the moment. What more was the to say? That was what I though until I cough the end of one of Near's sentences.

"...but the biggest help in creating this situation..." Near paused, "was Mello."

I looked up at Near and noticed behind him that Hal was about to speak. "Mello might've known this would happen," she said quietly.

If I had paid more attention, I would have notice that Mello had known. Why else would he take on the kidnapping knowing it was suicidal? "He did..." I muttered. "I heard him on the phone with Lidner. He had said 'He's going to make him write your names in the notebook directly...' then...

"'It looks like I'm the only one that can do it,'" I repeated Mello's words, keeping my composure.

Near was quiet for a moment. "The possibility that the note we tampered with being fake... I don't believe he had thought that far..." Near admitted. "But... It's probably true that he believed he would get ahead of me by his actions..."

_'You're wrong, Near. Thinking back, he avoided talking about you, and Mello never did that. If your name were brought up, he'd always say something angry about surpassing you... He had stopped that; that really should have been a clue to me...'_

"But Mello's actions were not just that... Even if Mello couldn't surpass me," Near eyes were hidden under his bangs. "Couldn't surpass me..."

_'Near repeated himself...'_ I thought. _'...he's grieving, in his own way.'_

"Mello was always trying to be number one and said that surpassing me, means surpassing L, but he knew. I could never surpass L..." Near said sadly. "Perhaps, I lacked initiative while Mello lacked composure...

"In other words, even if by ourselves we were not able to surpass our target... Together we are as able as L. Together we can surpass L," Near continued as he held up his own finger puppet, the one of Mello, and the one of L, "and now.

"The Kira which L was not been able to bring up any evidence against... The Kira L lost to... We have concrete evidence on!" Near exclaimed then added. "If you can talk your way out of this, please do so."

I crossed my arms and looked over to Kira, wondering how he would attempt talk himself out of this. He groaned and collapsed to the ground, clutching his head. Before long, he started to stand, laughing maniacally.

"That's right. I am Kira," he stated, a crazed look in his eye that sent chill down my spine.

_'This is the man that killed L and Mello... The true face of Kira...'_

"In that case, what will you do? Kill me here?" Kira asked. "Got it? I am Kira, and God of the new world!"

_'I feel a long-winded speech coming on...'_ I thought as went for my PSP that I had kept in my pocket, although I hadn't thought I'd be pulling it out at the time.

I flipped the switch, and the game came on. Luckily, the sound was off. Wouldn't want to interrupt 'the new god of this world's' inauguration speech, would we? I started the game, and I felt Hal's eyes glaring at my back. _'Why should I listen to his psychobabble? He's already cornered and about to be sent to jail. There's nothing he can do that the rest of the people here can't handle,'_ I thought as began to roll up a katamari.

"...hope of the people of the world... there may have been some merit...crime worldwide has been reduced 70 percent...it's not an accident..." I heard snippets of Kira's rant, but my focus was more towards making sure my katamari would reach a meter in diameter before the time was up.

I continued to play, and eventually rolled up some people before the time ran out. I glanced up as the Royal Rainbow took the Prince away, just to see Kira was still ranting.

"Think about it," Kira stated, and that had caught Near's attention, but I kept playing the game as the King told me my score, and I made my katamari into a star.

"...isn't that just your own ego?" I caught Kira say just before I started a new star. "If it's just to avenge L, that itself is the dumbest course of action. The one in front of your eyes may be Kira, but he is also the god of the new world!"

"No," Near stated, and I began to save and shut down my PSP. "You're--just a murderer."

Kira looked shocked as Near took out the small finger puppet of Kira. "And this notebook is the worse killing machine in history. If you were a normal person. If you had just experienced this tool once, even just used this notebook once, you would be shocked at what can be brought about by it, fear it and regret what you've done," Near said as he kept the Kira puppet between his finger, slowly squishing it. "And you would never use it a 2nd time."

Near paused, and I watched him look up at Kira. "...what I say will be extreme..." Near began. "I could understand someone who would kill countless for their personal gains. I would even consider them normal. You lose to the Shinigami and the power of the notebook...mistakenly thinking you could become god...

"A crazy mass-murderer," Near twirled a strand of his hair as he spoke. "That's all you are. Nothing else."

"Near, you're the one that's mistaken. Already I am justice," Kira proclaimed.

Near answered by saying that may be true. Most were shocked; I wasn't. I understood this way of thinking; Mello thought this way as did L. He continued by saying he was the same as Kira, in thinking that he was justice.

'_Whammy's House messed us up good; all Whammy kids who wanted to be L, eventually thought they were justice,'_ I thought as I looked over at Kira. _'Though, something must have gotten into his head when he was young too to make him think he was justice as well...'_

I noticed Kira glanced down at his watch. "Near," Kira began. "First you thought the fake notebook Mikami made up was real, and converted it. Then Mikami was made to get the fake notebook you made. It means each notebook both of you thought was real was in fact fake.

"And then, the mistake both of you made was that you couldn't check it out, if the notebook was real or not. Then, are you sure the notebook here is real?" he questioned. "The notebook you have now and the notebook Aizawa has carried from Japanese Head Quarter. Are they real?"

_'Is he threatening us with bluff?'_ I thought, and I was sure Near's thoughts mirrored mine.

"You can see Ryuk. Then I must admit the notebook you have now is real, but the notebook Aizawa has is the one kept in the headquarters I worked for. It is possible for me to change it. If I've done that, no one but me knows where the real one is..." Kira continued. "Yeah. If you are going to defeat Kira, you should write down my or Mikami's name to check if the notebook Aizawa is carrying is real or not."

"Yagami Raito...Kira... I have no intention to kill you," Near stated. "It doesn't matter if the notebook is real now. From the beginning, my aim has been to catch Kira... All has become clear and Kira is caught...that's all I want. Now that you are as good as caught, and I'll confiscate the notebook Mr. Aizawa is carrying. That's good enough for me now.

"Plus, I'm not going to announce to the public that Kira has been caught, and about the notebook. I believe everyone here can keep the secret," Near stated, looking around at everyone. "I will confine you Kira to the place where you can't be seen nor heard by anybody.

"As for the two rules written on the back of the notebook... The thirteen-day rule and the rule that if the notebook is burned, everyone who touched the notebook will die, are considered to be added afterwards according for your own convenience. I expect the Shinigami Ryuk may tell us honestly if they are fake or not, plus, if the notebook is real or fake, after you were caught."

There was a pause in Near's speech where I guessed the Shinigami must have answered.

"If we can't tell if the rules are fake, or the notebook is real or not, we have only to keep them closely so that they can never be passed to other people. The most important thing now is to catch you Kira here." Near finished, and Kira began to walk around.

"Well whether the notebook is real or fake, it wouldn't hurt to check the notebook, right?" Kira said with a shrug, a safe distance from the others. "If the notebook is real...or fake."

Kira made his move and pressed a button on his watch. "A piece set in the watch!" Rester exclaimed.

I went for my gun but once my hand grabbed it, I heard a shot go off. I looked up, and saw Matsuda had shot Kira's hand, making his pen fly away before he could finish Near's name.

"Oooh..." Kira groaned, holding his wounded hand to his chest, as he fell to the ground.

"Matsuda..." Aizawa murmured in awe.

"M-matsuda," Kira cried out. "You idiot! Matsuda, who do you think you are shooting!? Stop messing around!! If you shoot, shoot other than me!! What are you doing!? Matsudaaaa! I'm sure only you understand me. Kira is justice. Kira is needed!"

I readied my gun just in case Kira's words turned Matsuda on us. Tears ran down Matsuda's face, and he wass trembling with his gun that was still pointed at Kira.

"Shoot! Shoot Near, the SPK, and Aizawa. Shoot 'em!" Kira called out in desperation.

"W...what was that... C...Chief...Chief Yagami... Your father... What did your father die for..." Matsuda choked out through his tears.

"Father?" Kira questioned, breathing heavily. "You mean Yagami Souichiro? Yeah, Matsuda. It's always that kind of person who is absurdly serious with a strong sense of justice that suffers a loss. Such a person always loses. Are you content with that world!?"

"...you drove your father to his death... Then mixing different issues, do you end up with 'such a person always loses?'" Matsuda asked angrily.

"A world where people like my father do not lose... Yagami Souichiro died as a foundation for such a world. I'm telling you to kill them in order not to throw away his death! Don't you understand that!" Kira yelled as his blood dripped to the ground.

Suddenly, Kira started to finish Near's name in his blood on the Death Note scrap. My eyes widened, and I moved to stop him.

"With his blood?" Aizawa asked in surprise.

Again, before I could use my gun, Matsuda shot ruthlessly at Kira, who screamed in agony. Kira groaned as he hit the ground, and the Death Note piece was left with Near's name unfinished.

"I'll kill him... I've got to kill him," Matsuda said as he readied the gun at Kira's chin.

"Stop it, Matsuda!"

"Don't be rash!"

"Matsuda!"

The Task Force ran over and restrained Matsuda, who was breathing hard and still crying. Then Kira called for Mikami, in desperation, asking him to kill. Mikami, of course couldn't, and it finally hit him that his god was fake.

"You are not God! You are the lowest scum!" Mikami cried out.

"That he set a piece in his watch means he doesn't have any pieces concealed," Near stated.

Aizawa called for the Task Force to apprehend Kira, who started to crawl away in desperation. "Stop it! Don't come to me!" he called out as he started asking for Misa and Takada, his helpers to kill for him.

Each person he asked for, Near calmly told him could not help him. He kept asking for someone to kill us. I looked over to Near.

"It's over now?" I asked, knowing the answer.

"Yes," Near answered as Kira continued to call out for help pathetically.

I smiled at Near. "Mello and L would be glad," I said, "wherever they are now."

"Thank you for the help, Matt," Near added.

I was about to respond when I heard Kira call for the Shinigami. I froze. Would we die because the Shinigami decided he liked Kira better than us?

"Write, Ryuk. Now!" Kira ordered the Shinigami.

"S-stop it, Ryuk," Aizawa stuttered, and I could only gather that perhaps Ryuk had started writing.

"Don't be afraid," Near stated. "If the Shinigami were going to write our names, Kira, I mean Yagami Raito would have let him do so from the beginning. Which means Ryuk hasn't given such help."

I feel relief run through me as Kira continued to beg. Everyone looked surprised for a moment, horror dawning on their faces. Kira grinned, and everyone on the Task Force started shooting at the wall, asking the Shinigami to stop.

Kira started to laugh. "That serves you right, Near. You should have killed me soon. Now that Ryuk said he's going to write your names, no one can stop him. It's too late. You all die now!"

A moment passed and Kira looked crushed and confused. "Ryuk, you..." he started. "Stop it!"

Kira tried to attack the Shinigami but fell to the ground, at least I guessed he was attacking the Shinigami or else he had looked pretty foolish. I had no idea what was going on, but everyone was still tense. "D-die!? A-am I to die!?" Kira asked, frightened.

I watched as Kira's eyes widen, fear evident in his face. "I...die. ...N-no... I don't want to die. I don't wanna die. Stop joking around! Stop it. I don't want to die," Kira begged, holding onto the Shinigami I couldn't see.

There was another pause between Kira's begging for his life. "N-no way. I don't want to die. I don't want to go to jail, either! Do something. You have a card, don't you, Ryuk!"

I heard Matsuda and Aizawa murmur amongst themselves, while we all wait for Yagami Raito's death. "Uwaaaaaah! I don't want to die...don't want to die..." Kira cried out as the heart attack set in. "...dammit..."

Everyone continued to murmur amongst themselves as I put the safety on my gun and pocketed it. I made my way towards the body. I looked down on Kira's dead body then gave it a good kick.

When I walked away, no one questioned me, no one but Near. "Was there a reason for that meaningless display?" Near questioned as I pulled out a pack of cigarettes and my lighter.

I lit up, took a long drag, and blew out the smoke. "In Mello's memory," I muttered then grinned. "Although, I'm sure Mello would have done a bit worse then just kicking the body."

Near nodded. "Yes, I believe he would have."

----------------------------------------

Soon after the Kira case was closed, I received a text on my cell phone only Mello should have known the number for. The message read: _Meet me in Nagano, you know the place._


End file.
